It’s a little fuzzy and if he raised his chin a little while he was breaking into Subway a few days ago, we’d get better identification.  But no worries- that’s a great shot of him stealing the coat once inside.



Yeah, we got him.  Do you think it helped that genius was wearing gloves?

The Idaho Falls City Council unanimously voted to streamline the pawn ordinance by eliminating the requirement to keep records on CDs, DVDs, and used clothing.

Keeping pawn records solves crime, but it also creates a burden for the owners of pawnshops. Since pawn records on CDs and used clothing rarely help in solving cases and since keeping detailed records on these items can be tedious for the businesses, I asked the city council to eliminate that requirement.  Since the council is always on the alert to make government more efficient and more business friendly, the council enthusiastically endorsed it.

If you look at the list of scams created over the years, it’s no wonder why people fall victim to these demon schemers. They play on emotion, greed, ignorance and sometimes kindness to get to their end goal.
Just the other day a resident called into dispatch to report a scammer that tried soliciting her. The caller tried to pass themselves off as a young relative (they’ve usually done their homework and have an actual family name) that is out of the country and in trouble. He asked her to send money to get back home. Luckily, she was smart enough to ask the kid what his mother’s maiden name was before she would send him any money – course, the caller hung up.

She’s not the first to have this happen to and she definitely won’t be the last!

Even I was targeted by a scammer while inquiring about a rental property on Craigslist. I received an email from someone acting as the property owner. They never asked for any money, but the email was filled with red flags indicating they eventually would. It turned out the person in the email was a phony.

Unfortunately, catching and arresting scammers is difficult. Often they live in other countries where U.S. law is not upheld. Education is really our most valuable tool in preventing residents falling victim to scams.

Check out these websites at fbi.gov and ftc.gov for information about different scams.

The no-left-turn signs on Hitt Road between 17^th and 25^th may have been a pain to maneuver, but they’ve definitely saved a lot of hurt and agony.  From the chart above, there are two compelling observations.

Friday, a burglar was caught.  Pretty routine.  We catch a lot of burglars, but in this case, the perp was caught on surveillance video - still fairly common.  But what makes this a little different is that the video was inside a modest apartment and he stole – you guessed it – the camera.

The City Council passed the Door-to-Door Ordinance last night on a 5-1 vote.  It will take a month or so to get everything operational, but beginning this spring, door-to-door sales people must have a city-issued photo identification badge.  If they don’t, give us a call.